Posts Tagged ‘sun care’

Recently, I took some time to soak up the while working to achieve my first official tan lines to get the Summer season started. I did my very best to avoid getting sun burn, but failed miserably. Instead of enjoying a new set of tan lines, I was slathering aloe vera all over my charred skin and wondering what I did wrong. I was trying to be so careful to avoid this.

Here are a few things I noticed, so take note as it might help you with sun safety and avoiding sun burns.

Always wear sunscreen

This seems like an obvious one, but I was shocked when I was laying out with my friends by the pool and they were not applying sunscreen as they wanted to get some ‘good color.’ You will still get tan, but less skin damage with a sunscreen.

Check the expiration date

Make sure you are using sunscreen within the suggested timeframe. If not, then it’s time to toss it and refresh your stock. Sunscreen (like most other things that expire) will not be effective past this date.

Re-apply

Just because it’s waterproof and water-resistant doesn’t mean you don’t have to re-apply. ALWAYS RE-APPLY and do it often. You should put sunscreen on at least 30 minutes prior to sun exposure and re-apply at least every two hours, maybe more often if you are swimming, sweating, etc.

Look for sunscreens labeled ‘broad spectrum’

Only sunscreens that pass a new test of UVA protection can be labeled “broad spectrum,” a claim that will indicate that the product protects equally against UVB (turns skin red and causes cancer) and UVA (ages the skin and causes cancer) rays. The new season of Beautyfix has an awesome broad spectrum sunscreen called Gytone Spray Mist Broad Spectrum SPF 50. This sunscreen is a non-greasy formula that hydrates & protects the skin without clogging pores. It helps to prevent the signs of aging due to sun exposure.

Don’t let the SPF fool you

SPF only refers to protection against UVB rays, the ones responsible for burning the skin. It doesn’t have anything to do with protection against UVA rays that penetrate the skin deeper and can lead to skin cancer. This is why it’s important to look for broad spectrum. The EWG recommends purchasing sunscreens with SPFs higher than 15 but no greater than 50.Often times sky-high SPFs can give us a false sense of security. Many doctors argue that a higher number tricks people into thinking their sunscreen lasts longer than one with a lower SPF, causing them to reapply less often, so they’re more at risk for burns.

Stay in the shade

Sunscreen is just one factor of an overall plan for skin protection. It’s also important to stay in the shade as much as possible and wear protective clothing like hats and long sleeves. This is not the most ideal way to get a ‘good color’ but it will help with keeping your skin healthy, hydrated and protected.

We are constantly talking about the importance of wearing sunblock on a daily basis to protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays that can cause skin cancer, premature aging, and sunburn. We figured we should also share some sunburn remedies with you as well, just in case. After all, sunburn can happen to the best of us. With summer upon us, it becomes even more important to wear sunscreen as we spend more time outdoors and our sun exposure increases.

I am one of those obsessive sunscreen wearers – rain or shine – I wear an SPF on my face every day. I know that this will keep my skin looking younger and will help prevent skin cancer. And yet, even the most compulsive sunblock users can slip up every now and then. Even me. I work in the beauty industry, I have several types of sunscreen at my disposal at all times, and I still got a terrible sunburn recently. I met someone for lunch and we wound up eating outside, and it happened to be on a day when I, for some reason, didn’t follow my daily sunscreen routine. After being outside for an hour or so, my face and ears were bright red by the end of the day. I immediately sought a sunburn remedy to ease the pain and discomfort, and to sooth my aching skin.

Iced Tea is a great sunburn remedy and takes out the sunburn sting. Flickr user stevendepolo.

ICED BLACK TEA

Iced black tea immediately takes away that awful sunburn sting. Make some unsweetened black iced tea, soak cotton pads in the tea and gently pat your burnt skin. For extreme cases where you have large areas to cover, you can stand in the shower and pour the iced tea over yourself. You can also pour the tea into a spray bottle and mist yourself.

PLAIN YOGURT

Yogurt is another great sunburn remedy. Coat your skin in a layer of plain yogurt – the lactic acid will cool and hydrate your skin. This can get a bit messy, so you may reserve this treatment for your face and wear it like a mask, or apply to severely burnt areas that need a little extra TLC. Rince with cool water after a few minutes.

VINEGAR

If you can handle the smell, vinegar will also take away the sting. You must soak yourself in it to really achieve results, and you’ll have to reapply often. This can be a last resort if the tea or yogurt don’t do the trick.

Aloe Vera – a common sunburn treatment. Flicr user ruurmo.

ALOE

Aloe Vera is known to be a great topical treatment for sunburn. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have an aloe plant growing in our back yards. If you are one of the lucky few, just break off a leaf from the plant and squeeze the clear liquid directly on to the affected area. There are also many aloe products on the market that you can purchase. Just make sure it’s mostly aloe, and not just a little bit mixed in with some other ingredients. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract should be the first ingredient listed.

AMARTE AQUA VEIL PURE HYDRATION SERUM

The Amarte Aqua Veil was my go to treatment as soon as I realized what I had allowed to happen. The cucumber is soothing, but this miracle product also gives a great amount of hydration to the skin – and let’s face it, sunburn dehydrates your skin like nothing else. You should think beyond pain relief and think about treating your skin to a little extra moisture too.

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